Supplementary techniques to age - standardisation in Indigenous health status reporting

Key Findings Crude rates depict the true magnitude of the risk as an average measure at the total population level. However, they are heavily affected by the respective age composition of the populations being compared. Once standardised for age composition, the rates become comparable. However, the standardised rates are hypothetical. In all cancer incidence for example, they are not the true level of all cancer incidence for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Qld. Another measure that is available to describe incidence (new cases of disease and deaths) is lifetime cumulative rate. Lifetime cumulative rate is more indicative of actual rates of a population and can be compared with other populations and over time. No standard population is needed to calculate lifetime cumulative rate. Cumulative rates by age groups show age differentials of risk which provide further analytical possibilities. Furthermore, cumulative rates by age groups can easily be converted to probabilities of risk, which can be comprehended easily by the general public.